Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-09
4 SEVERE DROUTH.
A Strip Of Country the Size Of Ne
brasHa, or 0n8-Fourth the Size Of
Texas, Plagued with OroutH.
Vegetation Dead-CatUe Turned into
the Corn, Unable 70 Find Sus.
tenanc8-The Water Poisonous.
7iCch Sickness Frevalsnt-Pra;ris Fires
Raging in Every DlrecJiou-No Rain
IN Ten Weeks


CHICAGO, ILL, Aug. s.-A loca. paper
summoning up the many reports received
by 1t of drought, prairie fires, ruined
crops, etc, says this morning There IS an
area Of perhaps 1900 square miles in
the Northwest where the dust lies heavily
upon the earth. The district is bounded
by Madison on the north, BLOOMINGTON
the south, Lake Michigan on the east and
the Mississippi river on the west. 1t is
within the limits Of these boundaries that
vegetation hiss lost its normal color and
earth lis moisture. Day after dav the
sun sends its burning rays upon the
parChed farms and fields The leaves
are falling c # the trees, the grass in the
meadows has grown yellow and white,
and the streams on which cattle used 10
satisfy their thirst are as
DRY As POWDER HORNS.
1t has been nearly ten weeks sine 8
soaking rain fell in this district. The
big bull thistle, the pest OF nearly ever
farm, has at last suCCIm1ed 70 the fate Of
al other vegetation. The big weed trst
wilted, then turned black and finally fell
upon the earth. With not enough m0is-
ture in the ground to feed the thistle. the
condition Of corn aud the tender grass i'm
the meadow may be imagined In South
err Wisconsin there are thousands of
( acres where the corn viii not Weld
| PECK 10 the acre. The crop has been
| sCorched and
ALMOST TOTALLY DESTROYED.
! The leaves of the cereal are yellow and
brittle and droop almost to the ground.
/ The loss of the corn crOp is serious a. t.
| viii most imp1verisa the farmers. They
/ have lived in the country since the .and
was LIST titled and nave for the most part
/ laid by enough uUGey 10 carry them
through the winter. but there are other
/ dangers TO Re confronted Tie wells
have rul dry and in some towns water
famines are imminent The drinking water
st hand is often polluted and filed with
| poisonous germs. Typhoid fever is be-
coming more prevailing and dystentery
and other stomach disturbances are SO
common in some places IS to be
ALMOST EPIDEMIC.
Unless rain falls before many days the
suffering will be greatly augmented. The
intense neat has been terrific strain,
but its effect upon the csttle has been
simply app2Ling. Without pasturage 70
! browse upon or pools in which 10 stand
| during the bot h0Urs'of the day, the poor
beasts have become so emacieted as to he
wholly unmsrketaole. The farmers in the
! dairy districts nave, III some instances
/ been compelled to feed and water their
COWS from their own larder. In other
! places forest trees have been feIed AMI
drsgged to the pastures, and the cattle
turned loose to browse upon the leaves.
Hundreds Of cows are being killed ana
clipped 10 market.
/ FOR A MERE PITTANCE.
At WinsI0W, H., one farmer bought
ten head Of cattle last January at SO per
( he&d. When he offered TO sell the entire
herd les. week for 500 he could not iuG
| 3 purchaser. The farmers IN this district
! have already turned their cattle loose to
teed upon ths crops In some places
fences have been run through the corn
fields and the starving cattle permitted 70
feed upon the leaves aud stalks. These
fences have in some cases been extended
until the entire fields have been eaten
clean. Added TO ali the miserles
attending the great drouth Is
the constant fear of hres
The tall grass Of the prairies is dead, the
fields are resdy to burst into flames, end
the leaves lie In aeaps in the forests.
Sparks start the tire, and the blisteriGe,
Sahara-like winds
FAS THE FLAME
into g cOnfagation Already the lard
encompsssed by these boundaries has
been blaCkened by Wild fires. In some
towns the people ere often called on,
three or four times day 70 fight the
flames. Destructive fires have been
raging for many days at Kenssha, Racizt
snd WOlWorth counties Ia Wisconsin
thousands of acres have been
swept By the flames, and the
loss to the farmers in hay, grain
fencing and building is very great
Above Madison the Dogs are burning
furious.Y and clouds Of smoke hang over
the country for miles around In
Northern Illinois the fires are 50 Humer-
Gus that the farmers have pIowed ground
abOu. their building in order to check
THE SPEED OE THE FLAMES.
Should the droush remain un3rOken
mucn longer incslcuIsb.e ruin will BE-
wrought by the fires which spring up in IN
expected places and in the most mysterious
manner Ia some parts of the district
the drought is so terrible tina
butter NUS and walnuts, hav,
fallen from the trees. Potatoes wheI
= taken from the ground IoJk like Graf
apples. They ere wriakled and spong
aud unfit for food. There is also grea
, scarcity Of milk, owing 20 tn inability O.
the COWS to find natures food.